Washington, D.C. — On Tuesday, July 3, 2018, Born Free USA, a leading national wildlife conservation and animal welfare organization, voiced serious opposition to draft legislation released this week by Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), which – if enacted – would prove disastrous to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), our strongest and most stalwart defense against the extinction of our imperiled plants and wildlife.
According to Prashant K. Khetan, Born Free USA CEO and General Counsel, “At the very least, this bill is unnecessary, and at worst, it is a blatant attempt to appease industry at the expense of our nation’s most iconic and endangered species. Since it was enacted in 1973, the Endangered Species Act was designed to act as an emergency fail-safe after other conservation efforts – including those made by states – proved inadequate. We are facing the sixth great extinction and the devastating consequences of climate change; now is the time to increase and strengthen federal protections for endangered species and their habitats, instead of dramatically weakening them.”
Senator Barrasso’s bill, entitled The Endangered Species Act Amendments of 2018, would fundamentally alter the cornerstone law by shifting key authorities from the federal government to the states, even though states largely have less capacity, resources, and funding than the federal government to conserve species and habitats and mitigate conservation threats. Additionally, although the ESA requires the use of best-available science, this bill undermines the role and importance of conservation science and scientists. Lastly, this legislation seeks to make it nearly impossible to challenge ESA listing decisions in court in an effective and timely manner. Not only would this bill prevent challenges made against delisting decisions for five years, it would also exempt federal decisions from judicial review entirely if and when the federal agency in question bypassed deadlines for listing species.
Mr. Khetan added, “The Endangered Species Act is popular and effective. It is supported by 90% of American voters, and 99% of species listed under the ESA have been spared from extinction. In short, this is a powerful, efficient law that works. If Senator Barrasso truly wants to improve the ESA, he should support increased funding for implementing the law, and urge his colleagues in the Senate to do the same.”
About Born Free USA
Born Free USA, a national 501(c)(3), believes that every individual animal matters. Inspired by the Academy Award®-winning film Born Free, the organization works locally, nationally, and internationally on the conservation frontlines, in communities, classrooms, courtrooms, and the halls of Congress, to end wild animal cruelty and suffering, and protect threatened wildlife.
Launched in 2002, Born Free USA was inspired by Virginia McKenna and her (late) husband Bill Travers, who, along with their son, Will, founded The Born Free Foundation (UK) in 1984. Their experience in Kenya filming the classic 1966 Academy Award®-winning film Born Free, the story of Joy and George Adamson’s fight to successfully return Elsa the lioness to a wild and free life, launched the couple’s “compassionate conservation” movement, aimed at keeping wildlife in the wild. This movement continues to motivate millions of followers and activists across the globe. In 2007, Born Free USA merged with the Animal Protection Institute.
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